Fruit-jar sealer.



' PATENTED JUNE 6, 1905.

No. 791,467, u I

' E N. HIERONYMUS.

FRUIT JAR SEALER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2, 1904.

I VITNESSLS M 1/01 my device in operative position.

UNITED STATES Fatnted Jl'une 3, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

" FRUIT-JAR SEALER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 791,467, dated June 6, 1905.

A lication fil d December 2,1904. Serial No. 235,207. a

To all 1077,0711 it may concern:

Beit known that I, JAsPER N. HIERONY- mm, a resident of Fairbury, in the county of Livingston and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fruit-Jar Sealers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improved fruitjar sealer, the object of the invention being to provide a device of this character which will enable the cap or cover of a jar to be screwed down tight or removed and, further and most important, will effectually iron or smooth out the flange at the bottom of the cap or cover and insure a smooth even contact throughout of the flange with the gasket and compel the latter to snugly fit the jar.

The flanges at the edge of jar-caps from various causes curl up, become indented, and provide an uneven surface to contact with the gasket, and my improved device is designed to iron out the flange and make a perfectly air-tight joint.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described,

and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying'drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my improved Fig. 2 is a view of the device removed, and Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are views of modifications. i

1 represents a jar having a screw-threaded upper end to receive a threaded cap or cover 2, and 3 is a rubber gasket around the shoulder of the jar and between the cap and jar, all such as are well known and in common use. The cap 2 has an annular groove 4: around its upper end and is provided with an annular flange 5 at its bottom edge to rest on the gasket 3, and it is this flange 5 which be- .comes curled, notched, or otherwise uneven in use and requires smoothing before a perfect air-tight joint can be effected.

One form of my improved device, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, comprises a metal wire or 5 rod of any suitable" metal or composition, but preferably of a Bessemer rod coppered. The rod or wire between its ends is bent into circular form, as shown at 14:, to partially oncircle the cover and when sprung into groove 4 will turn freely therein. One end, 6, of the rod extends out straight, forming a handle,

as shown, and the other end, 7, of the rod, which is longer than end 6, projects outward, forming a handle, and is then bent under and back, as shown at 8, and is bent downward, forming a presser-foot 9, which in normal position rests against flange 5. In Figs. 1 and 2 this lower inwardly-bent portion 8 and foot 9 are bent laterally to dispose the foot about 5 midway between the handles, while in Fig. 3 the foot is directly below handle 7 and may be at any position between these points or'at any other point where it will perform the functions of ironing or rendering smooth the 7 flange 5 when the device is turned about the jar and downward pressure applied on the handle.

With the construction above described the presser-foot is on the free end of a spring member, which permits the presser-foot to yield when it meets an obstruction and at all times to bear with a yielding pressure, thus preventing injury to the jar or cap due to the application of too much force.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4: the arms 6and 7 are alike and a sheet-metal shoe 10 is securely riveted to arm 7, and in the form shown in Fig. 5 a cast-metal handle 11 is provided with a socket 12 to receive shortened 5 arm 7 and has a depending shoe 13 integral with, the handle.

In operation after a jar is filled the cover is screwed thereon by hand, and the circular portion 14 of my improved sealer is thensprung 9 into the groove 4 and when the arms 6 and 7 are pressed toward each other will firmly clamp the cap or cover and permit the latter to be tightly screwed down. Then by exerting a downward pressure on the handles 6 and 7 and turning them around the cover the flange 5 at the lower edges will be ironed out smooth and insure a perfectly air-tight connection with the gasket.

A great many changes other than those shown and described might be made in the general form and arrangement of the parts described without departing from my invention, and hence I would have itunderstood that I do not restrict myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A device of the character described, comprising a rod or wire bent into circular or curved formation between its ends, the ends being bent outwardly forming handles, and

one handle being bent inwardly and its end downwardly to engage the flange of the cap or cover.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a rod or wire bent into circular or curved formation between its ends, the ends being bent outwardly forming handles, one handle being bent inwardly and diagonally toward the other handle and then downwardly to form a presser-foot to engage the flange of the cap or cover, the said presser-foot resting normally in a plane between the two handles.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JASPER N. HIERONYMUS.

Witnesses: v

ADELBERT D. Wns'rnRvnL'r, PEARL J. HAWK. 

